Cal wins Pac-12 title, matches NCAA record with 10th victory

OK, so maybe the question we posed in last week’s Sporting Green golf column — is Cal the best college team ever? — wasn’t so crazy.

Max Homa and his teammates made their case, emphatically, today in Los Angeles. Homa led the Bears to a nine-shot win in the Pac-12 championship — Cal’s second consecutive conference title, no easy feat in the country’s premier league.

Cal won its second consecutive conference title today in Los Angeles.

Beyond that, the Bears matched Oklahoma State’s unofficial NCAA record of 10 tournament victories in one school year. The Cowboys, led by Scott Verplank and Brian Watts, set the record in 1985-86.

That crew, along with Wake Forest in 1974-75 (which included Curtis Strange and Jay Haas), usually highlights any conversation about the best college teams ever. Cal of 2012-13 clearly belongs in the conversation, with 10 wins in 12 starts entering NCAA regionals later this month.

“This was really fairy-tale stuff — defending the Pac-12 title and winning for the 10th time to equal a record that’s stood since 1986,” longtime head coach Steve Desimone said. “It doesn’t get much better than that. We’ve got more in front of us with an NCAA regional and NCAA championship, but there’s no question this team distinguished itself today. It certainly can be in the discussion with the greatest teams in the history of college golf.”

Homa paved the way at Los Angeles Country Club, riding his opening-round, course-record 61 on Monday to a five-stroke victory in the individual competition. Homa shot 1-under-par 69 today, to finish at 9-under for the tournament — comfortably ahead of teammate Michael Weaver, who landed at 4-under after his final-round 68.

Cal’s Max Homa won the Pac-12 individual title by five shots. (Photos by Dan Avila)

Homa became the third Cal player win the conference individual title, joining Charlie Wi (1995) and Eric Mina (2010). Among other golfers on the list are Phil Mickelson at Arizona State in 1990 and Tiger Woods at Stanford in ’96.

“To have my name on the list with all those other great golfers who have won this event is very special,” said Homa, who grew up in nearby Valencia. “And to do it in Los Angeles, in front of a lot of my friends and family, means even more.”

Cal’s depth showed: All of the Bears’ top five players finished in the top 15 in the conference tournament. That included Brandon Hagy (tie for 11th), Michael Kim (tie for 11th) and Joel Stalter (tie for 15th).

The top-ranked Bears had opened a nine-shot lead after the first two rounds, only to see UCLA — ranked No. 3 in the country, according to Golfstat — trim its deficit to two Tuesday. Cal pulled away early in the final round, then coasted home.